3. Thank you:
Franz and Gaby did a tremendous job in preparing the trip. Maps and books in large numbers were in their baggage. Franz used the modern navigation tools (GPS) well and we were always on top of the prevailing situations. We knew always what the next day will bring and were we will be staying overnight. I know that I would not have been able to tackle this trip on my own. With Franz being a hobby Chef he even spoiled us with delicious meals.
My sincere thanks go to Gaby and Franz for everything.

After a cold windy night on the ferry we arrive in Aswan on Wednesday towards noon. Since the cars will take a week to get here we will have to stay and make the best of it. Aswan is a pretty town and there are many interesting things to visit. The hotel Philae is nice with a view over the Nile.

So sieht das vom Balkon aus. Auch nachts ein schoener Anblick.

That’s what it looks like from the balcony. Even at night quite a sight.

The Philae Temple is well worth a visit. It would have been flooded when the dam was built. UNESCO however financed its relocation. It was carefully cut into manageable blocks and then re-erected in a raised location.

Most of the taxies are the Peugeot 504 from the seventies. They seem to run still well. But today I got into one which did not run on all cylinders. On the way back it stalled uphill. But no problem! The driver gets out, replaces the spark plug on the first cylinder and off we go again.

Today, one week after we arrived in Aswan, we get the good news that finally our cars have left Wadi Halfa. We expect them to get here by Saturday. Then we are on the road again, driving towards the Mediterranean Sea.

The border crossing into Sudan would have been a piece of cake if it wasn’t for the amount of paperwork the official had to fill in for the carnet de passage. He worked flat out but it still took him 4 hours to complete the job.

The border crossing in Moyale on the Kenya side is a speedy matter and we soon entered the Ethiopian side. After one Km we still find no border post. Franz turns around and back we go. A local guide then stops us and explains that it will be difficult to get the necessary documents processed since the national soccer team was later playing against Nigeria in a qualification match for the world cup in Brazil. With his help and some Birr (the local currency) we managed to get everything sorted out.

The first camp is in bad shape and the toilet filthy and dry. After a cleaning operation and with a bucket of water we can use it. On the second day we make up for this and stay at a nice hotel. The room cost us the small amount of 140.- Birr per person, which amounts to 7.- Dollars

There is now an abundance of rivers and lakes which are ideal for the plantation of all sorts of agricultural produces. On Lake Langano we camp and I enjoy the swimming. A duck family passes us with their kids.

In Addis Ababa we are staying with a family. One daughter is married to a Swiss, Heiry Grimm and lives in Switzerland. Every day we are spoiled with freshly stamped coffee which tastes delicious. Ethiopian coffee is an important Export article and is one of the best in the world.

After 5 months on the road it is high time to have my hair cut. I find a barber around the corner who managed to cut not only my hair but also my beard in good fashion. It costs me 12.- Birr, which is equal to 60 US cents!

Today we are driving to Welkite and another 50 km on gravel road into a rural area where the Gurage Tribe is living. Henry Grimm, the Swiss whom I mentioned earlier, has financed a school many years ago and is sending money every year to keep it going. Here is a grade 10 class.

We will now drive back to Addis Ababa to prepare the trip further north.

The visit to the rural area was very exciting. We are surprised how much effort is put into the education of the children. A lot of things are missing due to lack of funds, but they are doing their best to make things work.

In Kisii logieren wir zum zweitenmal in einem schoenen Hotel und lassen uns verwoehnen bevor wir nordwaerts durch das Wuestengebiet in Richtung Aethiopien unter die Raeder nehmen.
In Kisii we stay at a nice hotel the second time and enjoy a great time prior to going on into the rough desert further north.

Hier ueberqueren wir den Equator. Ein kurzer Halt und ein Bild fuer das Album ist mir der schon wert.
We are now passing the equator. A short moment to rest and to take a picture.

Bei den Thompson’s Faellen campieren wir zum letzten mal in einer gruenen Landschaft. Zwei Camelion vergnuegen sich auf meiner Hand.
At the Thompson’s Falls we camp the last time in a relatively green area. Two Camelions are having a rest on my hand.

Die Gegend wird zunehmend trockener bis wir im Hery’s Camp in Marsabit, bei einem Schweizer Halt machen.
The land gets gradually dryer until we stay at a campsite run by a Swiss in Marsabit.

Ein Fisch kommt mit mir zurueck zum camp, wo er fuer mich am Abend gekocht wird
One Fish I take back to the camp and the kitchen prepared it for me.

Ein schoener Sonnenuntergang, dann ist es Zeit schlafen zu gehen.
A nice sun set and then it is time to hit the sac.
Schon sind die wenigen Tage in Uganda vorbei und ich fahre via Kampala der Grenze von Tansania entgegen, wo ich wieder Gaby und Franz treffen werde.
The few days in Uganda are over and I’m heading to the border of Tanzania via Kampala where I will meet Gaby and Franz again.

Unser naechstes Ziel ist der Masai Mara Tierpark. Er liegt westlich von Nairobi und ist eigentlich der noerdliche Teil des Serengeti Parkes, getrennt durch die Landesgerenze zwischen Tanzania und Kenya. Wie im Bild ersichtlich ist der Weg dahin sehr beschwerlich. Eine brutale Schotterstrasse mit viel Wellblech muss hinter uns gebracht werden.
Our next place to visit is the Masai Mara Game Park. It is the northernmost part of the Serengeti, only separated by the border between Tanzania and Kenya. The road is gravel of the bad sort. Lots of corrugations and some time we drive alongside the main road to avoid all this shaking and rattling.
Im Park sind wir bald umringt von vielen Tieren was mich sehr an den Serenget erinnert. Ich moechte Euch nicht zu sehr ueberschwemmen mit Tieren, aber ich habe versucht nur noch spezielle Bilder einzufuegen. Hier sind sie:
In the park we are surrounded by a vast number of game, which I already experienced in the Serengeti. I do not want to bore you with another lot of game, but I tried to select some special pictures and here they are:

Das wars mit Tieren. Wir verlassen den Park in noerdlicher Richtung und streben einem Camp zu das uns das GPS verspricht. Am vermeintlichen Ziel angekommen stellen wir fest, dass es dieses Camp gar nicht gibt. Da kreuzt aber ein Einheimisher Masai mit Motorrad auf und laedt uns ein am Rande seiner Familiensiedlung zu campieren. Das war ein absoluter hit. Die Einwohner benutzen die Gelegenheit uns zu besuchen und wir finden die Begegnung mit Einheimischen sehr interressant.
We left the park with lots of good memories and headed for a Campsite with our GPS. Arriving at the destination we realised that it did not exist. A Masai on his bike appeared and offered us to camp at the outskirt of his family dwelling. This turned out to be a real hit. The Masai were very interested to see strangers and we had a good inside how they live

Am naechsten Morgen fahren wir an grossen Teeplantagen vorbei. Dann ueberschreiten wir die Grenze nach Uganda.
The next morning we say good bay to the Masai. We drive through Tea Plantations and cross the border into Uganda.